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Myles O'Leary had always been competitive. He saw life as basically a challenge, a challenge that pitted him against the world. And Myles wanted to win.
      So when news came out that a business competitor, the Strand Corporation, was up for sale, Myles jumped at the chance to buy the company. But he didn't want to just buy Strand. He wanted to buy it on the cheap. For Myles O'Leary, the game was not only to win but to get his prize for much less than true market value.
      O'Leary's scheme for purchasing the Strand Corporation was actually quite simple. Create "doubt" about the corporation.  Doubt about how much Strand was actually worth.  And then, O’Leary would put in a low bid for the company. The rumors he spread through accomplices about "secret debt and liabilities" at the Strand Corporation drove the share price down from $22 to less than $10 a share. O'Leary then submitted a bid of $12.75 a share, winning the company and saving his firm easily $375 million.

     Sitting in his leather chair inside his oak paneled corporate office, O’Leary grinned as he sipped his champagne. Another victory for the corporate raider from Michigan.  The business papers would soon tout his purchase as being “visionary” and “bold”.  He laughed as he looked over the paperwork for the purchase of the Strand Corporation.  Yes, he was the victor.  Victor of yet another corporate raid.  And many people would be jealous of him.

     O’Leary never saw the man crouching in the opposite end of the room.  He kept the room dark out of personal preference and that allowed the man to have easy concealment in the shadows.

     How the man got into O’Leary’s office was something that the police would never figure out.  How did he get past the security desk in the front lobby?  Or was he perhaps a member of O’Leary’s own personal staff?  And what was the motive for the shooting? Greed?  Perhaps revenge?  Or was there some other factor?  The authorities would never know for sure.

     Two quick shots, muzzled by a silencer, sounded like soft “thuds” to the mystery man as he stood only feet from the iconic business man.  O’Leary drop to the floor, motionless and bleeding from two holes in the back of his head. 

     The killer moved forward and stood over top off O’Leary, emotionless as he looked at the dead man now lying next to the custom made Sandalwood desk inside his office.  Once powerful and even feared, O’Leary didn’t look so imposing as he slowly bled on his Persian Tabriz area rug which covered a high gloss wood floor. 

     With his work done, the killer pocketed the Glock and silencer as he moved cautiously toward the office door.  Jacob Strand was confident the alibis he had put in place would keep him out of suspicion with the police.  Besides, many other men wanted O’Leary dead.  So what did he have to fear?   

     Strand gave one last look toward the dead man’s body as he walked out of the office and  towards the stair tower.  He thought he would feel satisfaction once O’Leary was dead.  But instead, Strand just felt empty. His hatred for the corporate raider had consumed all his emotion.  But at least the deed was finally done.

                                                                  The End       

Author’s Bio:   Tom Schmidt is a Chemical Engineer working in medical diagnostics in upstate New York.  He enjoys creative writing and has been published on www.short-story.me,

www.fatherstars.com, www.short-humour.org.uk, and www.overmydeadbody.com in the past.  Tom can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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